Sheila + Andy :: Dayton Engagement (& Family) Photography
When we first met with Sheila and Andy, they made it very clear that their families were very important to them, and that they would be a very integral part of the wedding. When we were explaining why we include and engagement shoot with every wedding, we mentioned that we could turn the session into a combo engagement/family shoot. They loved the idea, and we were super excited to shoot it!
As you can see, they have some beautiful kids, and we were so impressed with how positive everyone’s attitudes were! Their family single handedly reminded Mindy and I why we do what we do, and reinvigorated our love for family photography.
We’ll be featuring Sheila and Andy’s wedding in a few weeks!
One thing Mindy and I have been talking about lately is including a little bit more in our blog posts about who we are and how we create the images you see. We’re a team, we actually shoot differently, but complimentary to each other. We have different personalities, and it allows us to approach each client a little bit differently and adapt to the situation. Mindy took the kids while I spent some time with Sheila and Andy, and it allowed us to get some really unique images in a really short amount of time. This whole shoot was finished in less than an hour and a half!
Mindy working the wide angle:
This next shot is pretty funny. As a photographer, I often find myself sitting, standing, or laying in areas I never really thought I would before.
And this is the resulting photo:
Joyce + Tom :: PART II :: St. Louis Wedding Photography
Part Two.
After the Chinese Tea Ceremony Joyce and Tom and their wedding ceremony at North County Community Church. After the ceremony we took the bridal party downtown for photos, and the light was just beautiful. We always love doing portraits just before sunset because the sunlight is soft, warm and just creamy!
The reception was at the Mandarin House, and they served a traditional 10 course Chinese meal. They had everything from deep fried shrimp to duck. Joyce changed back into her Chinese dress and they went around to each table and did a toast with all of their guests. It was really neat to hear individual guests share their love and congratulations with the couple.
Enjoy!
Seriously, how cool is this wall!?!
Joyce + Tom :: PART I :: St. Louis Wedding Photography
Part One.
We always love being able to experience something different at our weddings. Change is what helps get the creative juices flowing, and always seems to make our jobs more exciting. Every wedding is unique, but Joyce and Tom’s wedding was something completely different for us.
We started the day bright and early (great time for photos by the way!) at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. You see, Joyce is Chinese. Tom is not. We had the huge honor of photographing not only their wedding ceremony, but also the traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony. Our first stop was the Chinese Garden, with beautiful morning light spilling over the trees onto an eastern landscape with Joyce and Tom in traditional Chinese attire. Joyce looked absolutely beautiful in her bright red dress!
The Chinese Tea Ceremony is a way for the family to give their blessing and show their approval of the spouse to be. Joyce and Tom presented a cup of tea to each family member, starting with Grandma and working their way through parents and then aunts and uncles. After accepting the tea from Joyce and then from Tom, the family members then gave the couple a gift. It was either jewelry or “lucky money”. Red is a symbol of luck in the Chinese culture, so the family would put money in red envelopes to wish the couple luck in their marriage. It was intimate and emotional, with only family and their closest friends surrounding the events.
We gotta admit, one of our favorite parts was the homemade Chinese food for lunch right after the ceremony… SO GOOD!
Make sure you stay tuned for part two coming soon!
Kelsie + Kevin :: Columbus Engagement Photography
Part two of our double header…
After our trip to the county fair, we met up with Kelsie and Kevin just outside the city of Delaware (which is just north of Columbus). Kelsie lined up access to an old train. These first two are from that train, but as you can see we got out of there real quick. It must have been 90º and musty in there!
We explored the area around the train, and found some pretty killer stuff, and the sun…. mmmmmm… the sun was just perfect! This is exactly why we recommend scheduling your session just before sunset.
We were hanging out near this fenced off power unit, and Kelsie goes, “Man, this fence reminds me of Prison Break.” BAM, that was all it took and I had this idea. Really happy with how closely this matched what I saw in my head!
Do yourself a favor and just look at Kelsies EYES! Wow, we cannot get over how intense and colorful they are! (They are NOT photoshopped or altered in any way)
Steph + Dylan :: Columbus Engagement Photography
Steph and Dylan are getting married next April. They told me that the focus of their relationship and of their wedding is “fun.” They love to have fun, and they want everyone around them to have fun too. We met up at the Delaware County fair in Columbus this past weekend for some fun engagement photos.
Stay tuned for their wedding next spring!
Brittany + Ben :: Kentucky Wedding Photography
If we had a “Wedding of the Year” award, Brittany and Ben’s beautiful Kentucky wedding would be one of the front runners, for sure. They chose to get married at the Immanuel Baptist Church in Paducah, Kentucky, despite the fact that Brittany’s dad is a pastor at a church less than 20 miles away. It’s not hard to see why! Immanuel is one of the biggest, most beautiful southern churches I’ve had the pleasure of seeing. Luckily, her dad’s church made a great reception location!
Brittany has been a friend of Mindy and myself since back when we all attended Cedarville. She’s just one of those special girls that makes friends with everyone she meets. She’s so grounded in her faith, but knows how to have a good time. She’s a woman that I really respect, and so we had some reservations about Ben. We met him at the rehearsal on Friday night, and it took about 30 seconds to dispel those feelings. His dad said (during his toast) that Ben has never met a stranger. He’s a magnetic person, and people are just drawn to him. We could tell that Brittany and Ben were perfect for each other when we realized that they each had ten (10!) bridesmaids and groomsmen, and then Ben had another four ushers.
The best part about their wedding was their focus on getting great photography. Brittany and I worked together to build a wedding day schedule that allowed for flexibility and quite simply a lot of time. Mindy and I love to work closely with our couples to create a schedule that really allows us the time to capture work that we’re proud of and that will hopefully blow you away. We started with their First Look and then quickly wrapped up formal family portraits. Then we all headed out to downtown Paducah for over 2 hours of bridal and party portraits. We honestly couldn’t have asked for anything better.
Let’s get to it. Check out that sanctuary and the huge bridal party!
Florist: Basket Case Florist
Dress: Bridal Mart
Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse
Caterer: Pam Mathis
Cake: Cakes By Design
Salon: Spalon 62
DJ: Garrett Locklear
Videographer: LifeStage Films
Speaking of videographers… I thought you’d all like to see the highlights video they put together for Brittany and Ben. LifeStage Films was wonderful to work with, and we’d highly recommend them if you’re looking for a little more than a typical wedding video. Not much I can say other than check out the work!